During my trip last week, I finally finished Grave Peril. I realy LOVED it. As I've said before: I've read the first two books in Dutch a while ago and loved it. The rest of the series is not available in Dutch, so I had to switch to English and I struggled. I gave up on Grave Peril two times and finaly finished last week, loving it. I can't wait for more. I'm only reading the series for the first time, so I have a lot more to discover. I'm reading other books in between, so I won't finish the other 13 books, before number 14 comes out, but that's ok.

Ghost Story is breaking my heart. I'm loving every minute of it (when I can read - been busy lately) and I'm impressed at how Butcher made Harry both rock-bottom tragic and mind-blowingly awesome at the same time. I'm tempted to say it's my favorite in the series thus far, but in some ways it's a different tone than the others so it's hard to compare.

Perhaps some of this made sense to those of you who have already read it.

One of my favorites is Dead Beat. It opened all kinds of new storie lines, but Grave Peril is also very nice. In my opinion that is when the series started to take off.

Grave Peril and Dead Beat have been my two favorites so far. I would love if the rumored Dresden movie was an adaptation of Dead Beat, probably minus Thomas because he just wouldn't be worth explaining.

Ghost Story is breaking my heart. I'm loving every minute of it (when I can read - been busy lately) and I'm impressed at how Butcher made Harry both rock-bottom tragic and mind-blowingly awesome at the same time. I'm tempted to say it's my favorite in the series thus far, but in some ways it's a different tone than the others so it's hard to compare.

Perhaps some of this made sense to those of you who have already read it.

It makes perfect sense! While I would not put it as one of my favorites, I understand exactly what you mean.

Grave Peril and Dead Beat have been my two favorites so far. I would love if the rumored Dresden movie was an adaptation of Dead Beat, probably minus Thomas because he just wouldn't be worth explaining.

A movie? Please, oh please don't let the TV series writers near it! Done right, Bob as a skull would be pure awesome.

The Dresden Files Review and Recommendation
Posted on September 9, 2012
The Coolest Wizard in the Yellow Pages

I have a few book series that I have been following for years now. There is something incredibly special about eagerly awaiting the next release from one of your favorite authors. The burning question of what will happen next is all part of the fun, and Jim Butcher has always done a great job of keeping his readers on thier toes.

The Dresden Files has a lot of the things that make me absolutely adore a story: A tainted hero and characters that lead the story on with swords blazing, wit lashing, and rivalries shining leave me starry eyed and grinning at the end of each of these action-packed, suspense-filled urban fantasy classics.

Jim Butcher gives us a character that you just can’t help but love in Harry Dresden. This fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants wizard lives in Chicago, and bucks the secrecy of others of his kind with an advertisement in the yellow pages:

The Dresden Files takes up almost a whole shelf on one of my bookshelves…totally worth it!

Of course his paying customers tend to lead him straight into the middle of trouble, and his weakness for a damsel in distress (he is aware it’s slightly sexist) usually ends up making a bad situation much worse.

In each book Harry is pushed to his limits – physically, emotionally, morally, and magically – and each time he perseveres. Kind of. Jim Butcher isn’t afraid of portraying the true costs of being a hero. Death, nightmares, and loss all play into this story, and I’ve heard rumors of a coming apocalypse (I freaking love apocalyptic stories!). With growing power also comes bigger moral dilemmas, and Harry Dresden does not always make the choices that would be expected of a tried and true hero. This only adds to the depth of his character, and those around him. Jim Butcher does a good job of developing a cast of players that face the same problem that Dresden does: what is the right choice in a situation of bad options? The ‘right thing’ is not always cut and dry – especially if war and power struggles are involved.

Of course, there is also plenty of witty banter, fun internal dialogue, and true love to keep a light side to the story. Butcher does a commendable job giving us a supernatural order of creatures that are interesting and fresh. I am always annoyed by the urban fantasy that simply relies on the imagination of others to do the hard work and covers up thier laziness with swords and lots of sex. This author is not guilty of the travesty of bad writing that seems to plague his genre.

The Dresden Files have a well thought out cast of characters, with each magical species having its own history, political structure, and defining characteristics. He also gives us a main character that pays attention to how these dynamics work, so that we can see the complexity of how this world is put together through the eyes of Harry Dresden. I assume the author’s talent and interest in building a world that can stand on its own has roots in what he admits is his true love – deep fantasy. He has another series titled The Codex Alera for those of you who are interested in his other works. You won’t be disappointed!

Those of you who watch the SciFi Channel (now Syfy) may be aware that there was an attempt at a Dresden Files TV show. It was an epic fail, and I ask that no one judge the books after the dismal attempt to make them into a live action extravaganza. It is too bad that they screwed it up – I was pretty excited about it at the time. Poor me.

So far there are 13 novels in this kick ass series, with #14, Cold Days, due to come out in November. If you’re like me, you can easily get through the first thirteen before the big release date. So, if you’re bored and looking for a fun series to read – you know my vote. Already read them? Let me know what you thought of The Dresden Files!

A movie? Please, oh please don't let the TV series writers near it! Done right, Bob as a skull would be pure awesome.

Having seen the TV series with no preconceived notions, I thought Bob the enslaved necromancer was one of the best things it had going for it. In any case, if a film ever does get off the ground I doubt they'll have much interest in the TV series' continuity.

...I finished Summer Knight and Death Masks, both were GREAT and have begun re-reading Blood Rites!

Finished Blood Rites, fantastic, as usual!

I had downloaded the Amazon free sample of The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling since the price for the complete book was a bit steep . I just finished the sample ant it is now on my Amazon Christmas wish list.

My short break turned out to be REAL short. I've now begun re-reading Dead Beat, number seven of The Dresden Files.

I had downloaded the Amazon free sample of The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling since the price for the complete book was a bit steep . I just finished the sample ant it is now on my Amazon Christmas wish list.

My short break turned out to be REAL short. I've now begun re-reading Dead Beat, number seven of The Dresden Files.

I finished Dead Beat last night at Midnight! Wow! I always love the scenes with Harry and Butters and then Harry and Carlos riding on Sue into battle!

I saw a movie yesterday on HBO called The Adjustment Bureau. I noticed in the credits that it was based on a short story by Philip K. Dick called Adjustment Team. So I searched for it and found it available on Amazon for $ 0.99! It was a really great quick read and a change of pace.

Wow! I finished re-reading Proven Guilty yesterday. This re-read was really really really a fantastic experience! It brought tears to my eyes multiple times throughout even though I [mostly] knew the outcome of the different events! It proves to be a great book each time I read it!

Now, I'm going to give Diane Duane a try with the first in her Young Wizards series, So You Want to Be a Wizard, New Millennium Edition. Part of the reason I want to try it is I'm thinking of it for my Grandson (12 years old) for Christmas! He's already read all of Harry Potter (of course, so have I) so it seems like it might be a good fit for him.